OT/FC: Brewery, Canyon Pizza & Music Mart to be forced out of their long-time homes as State College Borough invokes eminent domain
- Thread starter Zenophile
- Start date
The Brewery was one of my main bars back in the early 70s. Along with the Phyrst, Gaff, and Skellar, it was sacred ground.
Parking space for what? Without Playland, the Deli, the Movie theaters and Pedro's..then Baby's, what business is even left around there to warrant another parking garage when there is already one on Pugh Street and McAllister street.
Demand better?
Unfortunately, the vast majority of State College-ites (most of them now spillovers from the University) voted for this ("this" leadership, not this particular maneuver of course)
Imagine getting a call - from a REPORTER - telling you "Hey, did you know the Borough is taking your property/business and razing it?"
You reap what you sow. Alas.
Hey, you have to service all of those empty street level spaces promulgated by the Borough Council's past actions, with all those high-rises.
I bet the borough will pay a big premium to the Brewery owners based on projected future lost earnings. Don't you think? I kid! I kid!
It really is a lovely structure. It looks like the owners have put a lot of money into its appearance over the years.
It really is a lovely structure. It looks like the owners have put a lot of money into its appearance over the years.
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If you’re serious, you don’t get the brewery at all.I bet the borough will pay a big premium to the Brewery owners based on projected future lost earnings. Don't you think? I kid! I kid!
It really is a lovely structure. It looks like the owners have put a lot of money into its appearance over the years.
I always thought eminent domain was reserved for things that are needed, like expansion of a school due to population growth for example
Or taking land to run utility pipes
Or taking land to run utility pipes
I get the Brewery. Believe me.
I haven't been there is a long time, but there was a time when I went there a fair amount. A close friend's band played there a lot, and I used to go there when his band wasn't playing too. The last time I went there was 1989 or 90. Of course, that was before the current owners, but I know the owners. They know it's a dive. Jay acknowledged that in the interview. He'd laugh if I saw him and busted him about it.
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My impression is that government can pretty much appropriate/seize private property for public use as long as they give reasonable compensation. It's quite broad.
Kelo vs New London.......Allowed Private entities to condemn properties for the greater public "good" vs government entities alone to condemn properties for Roads, Airstrips, etc
The rick doesn’t stand in line for frat boy trendy bars. The brewery always welcomes meI get the Brewery. Believe me.
I remember that case in CT. Not a good day for property owners.
Can PA invoke eminent domain on PSU-University Park to create much-needed whatever they want? Asking for me (and people who look like me).
Pugh Street garage is old and crumbling. There is an effort to demolish that and build a Performing Arts Center at the corner of Pugh and Beaver…
Every day I gravitate more and more to this quote/mindset...
Technically, I wasn’t tossed, I was asked to leave. Some frat boy was trying to be a one man mosh pit, and after about the sixth time that he jumped into the band’s one speaker almost knocking it over, I put a hand on his shoulder and told him to settle down. He went and told a bouncer.
Of course, the frat boy and four of his brothers followed me out and tried to jump me as I was crossing Pugh St. Fortunately, they were stupid enough to do it right in front of a parked police car and nothing happened.
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The Brewery is no big deal, just the first bar I ever legally was served at. Two blocks from my apartment, every Thursday it was $5 pitchers of Lager and Jack's Farm playing great rock music. It doesn't get too much better than that.
Definitely needs to be destroyed as it seems like it's one of the few places I frequented that is left standing.
Definitely needs to be destroyed as it seems like it's one of the few places I frequented that is left standing.
LOL. last time I was there was probably an Arts Fest in the 00's. Doesn't look like its changed much.
It was a favorite spot, of mine though, in the 80's.
Same with me. Most of my old haunts are long gone, Train Station, The Caboose (Loved the upstairs backgammon tables) Dark Horse, Post House, Gingerbread Man, The Brickhouse.
Thank God Zeno's and Cafe 210 is still around.
$4 Pizza Pi pizza and AUCD drafts Tuesday 6-8 in the mid-80’s. Went through SC last month with the family. Downtown is flat out ugly these days as a whole. There are some quaint structures remaining but when there are rehabs gone bad and monolithic eyesores among them, well the result is bad.
Beaver Ave
Here is the latest clip of that block from Google street images. Granted, it's from 2019, but from this angle, they're doing the town a favor.
Here is the latest clip of that block from Google street images. Granted, it's from 2019, but from this angle, they're doing the town a favor.
Let me be clear: I’m not anti-change, so much as I am for thoughtful growth. It’s not unique to SC. It’s not as profitable to build aesthetically pleasing structures, so the result is a mess of eyesores, often with a planned life of like 20-30 years. York was never a beautiful city, but every significant structure built in last 25 years in downtown is one flavor or another of ugly. I can’t believe they invested in rehabbing the Yorktowne Hotel - seems against everything else that’s been done.
Gutless wonders. They left a perfectly good parking lot location that was already a parking lot get a ugly, useless hi-rise apartment building get built on the Garner Street parking lot. Why? I'd venture a guess but I don't want to defame anyone.
It sure isn't an aesthetic success, but the operations contained within the eyesore might have been - I haven't seen the books
- a serious cash cow for the owners. You can make nice steady income as a bar owner as long as your employees don't rob you blind. Also, being a landlord in State College is lucrative. I wonder what fair value is for that building. Will the borough be required to disclose the purchase price?Yes, look what Cumberland Valley School District did to take land given to the public for recreation and nature studies.
Pedro's.... wow... there's an oldie but a goodie. Nothing better than loading up on Pedro's with a full load on. Of course, there was also 25 cents midnight fries as well. Loved Bubba's too.
Pedro's was good, Susie Wong Egg Rolls is another oldie but goodie. Roy Rogers was always good on the way home from the bar.
Those Sunday night Pedro's specials were just the thing that the doctor ordered after a long weekend of being undernourished. The chimichangas were so good that I didn't mind the stale chips.
Oh, no doubt you're right. I should have said that I am not necessarily in favor of eminent domain. I also think there is a responsibility on the property owner/owners to maintain the building up to a certain standard. Not sure if that would have helped in this case.It sure isn't an aesthetic success, but the operations contained within the eyesore might have been - I haven't seen the books
I agree with you too. It's a dump that should have had at least some maintenance done to it. Too late now. It most likely wouldn't have prevented the borough declaring eminent domain anyway. Speaking of rentals that the borough should nudge landlords to maintain - what about that string of rentals along Park Ave. across from Hort Woods and North Halls? Good grief! The North Halls renovations were great. By comparison, some of those rentals look horrible.
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